Immigrant Defense Clinic

L02.2597/2598 Professor Yvonne Floyd-Mayers Professor Jojo H. Annobil Open to 3L (preferred) and 2L students Maximum of 10 students		Spring semester 5 credits* No prerequisites or co-requisites.

Introduction
This course will be offered to up to 10 students in the Spring 2009 semester as a semester-long, 5-credit course. The clinical program also has a separate, year-long Immigrant Rights Clinic.

Course Description
Since the overhaul of the immigration laws in 1996, all noncitizens face a vastly changed system for detention and deportation. For noncitizens who have been accused of crimes, there is a de facto dual system of criminal law in which a misdemeanor conviction can lead to mandatory detention and deportation, even for persons who have been legally present in the United States for most of their lives and who have United States citizen spouses and children. In addition, various provisions of the laws have created hurdles to judicial review of the rights of noncitizens.

Fieldwork

Students in the clinic will have the opportunity to work on litigation and other projects at the New York Legal Aid Society's Immigration Unit, an office that represents non-citizens facing deportation proceedings. The Immigration Unit handles a wide range of cases in which non-citizens contest deportability, apply for asylum, or seek other forms of relief deportation. The office handles cases in immigration court and in federal district and circuit courts, including work with Special Immigrant Juveniles and the juvenile docket in immigration court. The office also coordinates with private attorneys on cutting-edge legal issues involving immigrants with criminal convictions, and provides advice to detained immigrants.

Seminar

The seminar component of the clinic will complement students' fieldwork with a practice-oriented examination of advocacy on behalf of non-citizens and the different roles that can be played by a social justice lawyer. The seminar will give students the opportunity to examine the legal, social, political, and other obstacles to achievement of their clients' goals, as well as a chance to reflect on the strategic choices they face. The problems of non-citizens frequently arise at the intersection of multiple and conflicting legal regimes, including immigration, criminal, labor, employment, and civil rights laws. Students will grapple with the dramatic changes effected by the Antiterrorism, Immigration, and USA PATRIOT Act, developing case law, and subsequent legislative and administrative developments at the federal and state levels.

Application Procedure
Students should submit the standard application, resume and unofficial transcript using CAMS, the online application system.There will be no interview. If you have questions regarding the application procedure, please contact Susan Hodges at susan.hodges@nyu.edu.

Student Contacts

The following students were in the IDC in Spring 2008:
Sonja Andersen
Viviana Betancourt
Berglind Birkland
Charlesa Ceres
Kaminsky, Natalie
Soo-Yeun Lim
Marco Molina
Sarah Montgomery
Rebecca Press
Oliver Zee


* 5 credits includes 3 clinical credits and 2 academic seminar credits.